Force of Destiny
by Daughter of Nature
Summary: Kel needs a break, and the Goddess gives her an unusual one. A collection of related Sabine/Kel drabbles written for the Sabine vs Yuki fight for SMACKDOWN on Goldenlake.
1. Break

It wasn't until she reached her own room that Kel realised she was shaking and sat down. "Gods." The room felt strangely quiet; it was the first time that she had been alone and not busy for weeks, if not months. It wasn't that she didn't love New Hope and its people, but there were so many demands of her that she could feel it all wearing her down. She rested her head in her hands. Perhaps her trip to Mastiff in a week would give her a chance to recover so that she could come back to New Hope with her energy restored. "I just need a break," she murmured.

"You have earned one, my daughter." The voice seemed to tear right through her, and Kel clapped her hands over her ears as everything turned black.

……………………..

Nothingness was all around her, and Kel was floating – or was she falling?

"Do not fight true love, my daughter. What is meant to be will be; the force of destiny makes it so."

Kel had barely begun to wonder what this meant when she landed with a thud.

……………………..

"Goddess, you really must be desperate for a drink."

Kel sat up, blinking her eyes rapidly to adjust them to the sudden light. She appeared to be in some sort of tavern, and the woman closest to her was watching her intently.

"It was nice of you to drop in; I was just thinking I could do with some company."

Kel stared at her in confusion. She was wearing a shirt and breeches, but she spoke and carried herself like a noble, and she had a sword buckled to her belt. "Are you a Rider? Where am I?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, but you're in Corus, of course." The woman took another swig from the tankard she held. "No Goldenlake ale in Port Caynn, theirs tastes like pig swill."

"_Goldenlake_ ale?"

"Sit down, you look like you've had a bit much of it."

Kel sat. "But, how am I in Corus? I was at the border."

"Barzun." The older woman nodded. "It's enough to make anyone a little loose in the nob." She studied Kel. "It's a pity; you've got a sweet, honest face, and intelligence in your eyes."

"Barzun? But that's part of Tortall…I was at the Scanran border. Because of the war, at New Hope. And then the voice came, and said…said about true love, and the force of destiny."

"Destiny?" The other woman propped her chin on her hand. "Well, you look more than a little confused and you could obviously do with some rest to get your mind working properly again, but I _was_ just thinking that you seem to be my kind of woman."


	2. Puzzle

"Good, you're awake."

Kel blinked and looked at the woman sitting at the side of her bed. She frowned, trying to remember.

"You're at my townhouse. I brought you back here after I told you the date and you panicked. It's odd, I've had three different healers take a look at you, and they all swore that there was nothing wrong with you other than a bit of tiredness."

Kel tried to reply but only managed to croak, and the lady handed her a pitcher of water. She gulped down several large mouthfuls and tried again. "I think the Goddess sent me here from the future. All I wanted was a little break." A laugh bubbled up in her throat that threatened to become hysterical, and she clamped her jaw shut as she fought to stay calm.

"You know, there's something about you that makes me believe you." She eyed Kel, and then smiled. "Don't try to stay awake, I put a calming potion in that water. The healers all said you need rest."

"But I can't, I-"

"Don't worry, everything will be fine." A callused palm pushed her hair off her face as her eyelids grew heavier, and the last thing Kel felt before drifting into sleep was the gentle press of reassuring lips to her forehead.


	3. Dream

The next time Kel opened her eyes, the lady was sitting next to her on the other side of the large bed, reading. "Who are you?"

The lady looked at her in surprise, and then smiled. "Lady Knight Sabine of Macayhill. I don't suppose you remember the other time I told you."

"I'm afraid not," replied Kel as she sat herself up. "I know I would've remembered a lady knight."

"You had a fixation on that at the time. You're a knight too; Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan."

Kel nodded. "I'm not dead, am I?"

"No, and after three healers and my maid having seen you, I'm fairly certain I'm not imagining you."

"I must be dreaming."

"Don't be a looby, we couldn't be dreaming the same thing."

"A what?"

The woman reached over and pinched her arm. Kel winced, and stared at her.

"Well, you're not awake any more than you were before, are you?"

Kel shook her head. It was odd; she should have felt disappointed and worried that she clearly wasn't at home, but at the same time she was a little…relieved that she really was here.

"I've always heard that there's one more way to wake a person up from a dream," Sabine said. She set the book aside and looked at Kel intently.

Kel swallowed hard. "What's that?"

The other woman shifted so that one hand was on Kel's shoulder, and the other hand under her chin. "A kiss," she told her matter-of-factly, and pressed her lips to Kel's.


	4. Alone

Kel's face fell in the darkness as her hand cautiously travelled over the emptiness on the other side of the bed. The last few days as Kel had slept, the lady – Sabine, she reminded herself – had taken to spending time reading or cleaning her weapons on the other side of the bed. When she'd decided she was tired, she'd simply climb under the covers and sleep where she was. The room felt far too silent without her soft breathing in the darkness.

Instead, Kel could hear noises coming through the wall. She reddened as she realised what was happening in the bedroom beside hers, and found herself hoping that it wasn't Sabine's voice she could hear with the man next door. _Perhaps she never meant anything by those kisses_, she thought. _Perhaps kisses mean different things here._ Disappointed, she realised that she wanted the other woman's presence in her own bed; she wanted the kisses and embraces and touches for herself. The covers pulled over her head, brown eyes and scarred skin and gentle curves haunted her dreams.


	5. Limitless

Kel scrubbed her face and brushed her hair after getting dressed. She'd expected to look terrible after several days in bed, but the energy she'd gained made her feel fully refreshed, and it showed. She wandered through the hallways until she found the dining room, where Sabine was seated with a man. He was tall, just like her, and gave Kel a friendly smile when he saw her. It looked as though they'd been made for each other. Kel's heart sank; it must have been them she'd heard the night before.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." She turned and walked back out of the room.

Sabine caught up to her just as she realised she had no idea how to get back to her bedroom. "What was that, back there? Even Mattes knew that something was up, and he'd never met you before. You were rude."

"I'm sorry, I was surprised. I didn't realise you had…company."

Sabine studied her. "You're jealous because I have a man."

Kel blinked. "Well, it's just that I thought…the kisses…"

"They don't have to be limited to one person, Keladry," Sabine told her, and she kissed her again.


	6. Stupid

"Have some ale."

Kel eyed it. "I don't mean to be ungrateful, but I don't drink."

"Goddess, you don't drink? How do you stay sane?"

Kel shrugged. "I manage, I think. I'm saner than some of my friends back home."

"Gods, you're as bad as Beka. She won't drink a sarden drop either." She tugged Kel to sit down beside her.

"You'll have to do some drinking for me, then," Kel told her.

Sabine slid closer to Kel and looked at her. "But maybe I was hoping you'd get a little tipsy and do something stupid."

Kel thought about this, and then rested her hand on Sabine's leg as she looked her in the eye. "I can do stupid things anyway, you know."


	7. Aunty Kel

"Hello Aunty Sabine!" Kel woke up as a weight hit her stomach, and heard Sabine laugh from beside her.

"Little, you're up and about early."

The small child perched on top of her was looking at Kel intently. "Are you Lady Knight Keladee? That's what Uncle Matty said, except sometimes he's silly and tricks me."

"Me? Never." Mattes stood grinning in the doorway.

"You're squashing her." Sabine pulled the girl off and she lay between them and giggled. "Her name's Keladry with an r, but if you ask nicely she might let you call her Aunty Kel."

Small arms flung themselves around Kel's neck. "Can I please please please call you Aunty Kel?"

Kel smiled. It would've been impossible to say no, and the girl probably knew it. "Yes."

"Why aren't you wearing a nightdress? Have you been doing noisy cuddles with Aunty Sabine?" Kel blinked in confusion as Mattes laughed and Sabine grinned crookedly at her. "That's what Mama and Da do when they take their clothes off, they do lots of kisses and noisy cuddles. Except Da's a boy and he has a big tummy."

"Hey, Little." Mattes beckoned to her. "I think you've forgotten something." The girl scrambled off the bed and went to him, and he bent to whisper in her ear. She gasped and ran out of the room, leaving Kel staring after her.

"Is she yours?" she asked, confused.

"Gods, no!" they answered together, and laughed.

"She's Clary's offspring," added Mattes. "I thank the gods every day that she only ever wanted one of them." They could all hear the sound of running footsteps growing louder.

"Why do you call her Little?"

"Because I'm the littlest Goodwin!" the little girl explained as she came through the door. She was holding something green and moving, and she held it right in front of Kel's face. "Say hello to Ribby."

Kel leaned away from it. "Is that a _frog_?"

Mattes nodded. "If you ever meet her mother, don't mention it." He walked over to the bed and scooped Little up. "Let's go and make a house for Ribby and find him some food." He looked at Kel and Sabine. "I suppose you two will be having a bath?"

Sabine stretched. "Sounds perfect."

Kel smiled; Sabine's bath was _huge._ There was enough room for them to sit comfortably without even touching, although that never happened.

Little wriggled, and Mattes set her down. "Do you have the soap that smells like honey but doesn't taste like it again?"

"I do," answered Sabine, and Little's face lit up.

"I want a bath too!"

"Why don't you play dress ups? You and Uncle Matty can borrow my dresses and jewellery and face paints again."

Little was obviously tempted, but she shook her head stubbornly. "I promise I won't splash like last time." She handed the frog to Mattes and gave them her most pitiful look. "I _have _to have a bath, I stood in a puddle on the way here."

Sabine gave Kel a rueful smile; she'd obviously been looking forward to the same sort of bath that Kel had. "Alright," she told the girl, and Little beamed and skipped off to the bathroom.

Sabine grinned at Mattes. "You get to entertain Ribby." She sat up and stretched again. "I'll make it up to you both later."

"To me and Ribby?"

Sabine hit his arm lightly. "To you and Kel."

Mattes laughed, his voice a deep rumble. "Somebody's going to be a busy mot."

Sabine grinned at him, and then at Kel. "I know."


	8. Competition

"I'm older, I've been doing it longer than you. I have more experience."

"That doesn't mean you're better."

"I can prove it."

"I've been told I'm good too."

"No need to get cocky about it."

"I was just saying…and you were getting cocky too."

Sabine eyed her, a smile playing over her lips. "You'll have to prove it now. First to get the other one off wins."

Kel smiled. "Alright, then."

Sabine gave her a crooked grin. "I'll even be nice and let you choose which way you want to start off."

Kel thought and then pointed, and Sabine smirked before she got herself into position.

…..

At first, Sabine's force shocked her; it felt as though she was trying to completely impale her. Then Kel grinned to herself. Of course Sabine would be competitive about something like this. Kel relaxed momentarily and shifted a little, feeling the strange but familiar muscles moving beneath her. She felt herself getting used to the pattern as Sabine tried again and again – and then she knew right before it happened that it was too late to stop herself. The next thing she knew, she was flying – dizzy and flying, soaring and out of control - and coming down again with a thud.

She lay there panting for a moment and then looked up to see Sabine standing over her; wiping her face on her sleeve and offering Kel her other hand.

"I told you I was better at jousting," she told Kel, and she grinned. "Now…I'm thinking that you owe me a reward."


End file.
